Monthly Archives: October 2013

Book Nearing Completion

Posted on October 23, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

I am in the (hopefully) final throes of producing my book Elementary Engineering:  Sustaining the Natural Engineering Instincts of Children.  I decided to self publish through createspace.com.  Going through large companies was taking to long.  I hope to have it … Continue reading →

Posted in Robotics | Leave a comment

Designing Ahead

Posted on October 7, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

How much young students can plan ahead is a hot topic in educational research (well, at least to me).  In discussing our recent designs, my son Aidan (age 7) volunteered that that he thinks about a design ahead of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research | Leave a comment

4 Color Problem Case Study Results

Posted on October 4, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

I recently completed a exploratory research project that examined how learners respond to a difficult but motivating math problem.   I did a small case study, which compared adult math experts, advanced math students (one grade 1 and two grade 4), … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Teaching | Leave a comment

Calculating Velocity

Posted on October 3, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

I had a great team of 2 boys this week who were the first to build a LEGO NXT Dragster.  I usually instruct kids to build a 10 foot course and time the car.  Well, I noticed they were setting … Continue reading →

Posted in Robotics, Teaching | Leave a comment